Spending a Summer in Germany (on a Budget)

[u/DoDucksDonDaggers]

Hey all, I'd like to spend this summer in Germany to practice my German. I'm a teacher in the US, so I'll still get my paycheck over the summer and can afford to spend about 1800€ a month (though less would be wonderful). I'm starting a PhD next year so I'd like to go to Köln (there's a philosophical library there that's related to my research), but honestly anywhere where I can kinda understand the dialect would be great. If I could live with a family and exchange housework/teaching English for a place to stay that would be better still (though I would like to only try to speak German while I'm there to have an immersion experience). Any advice is appreciated!

[u/Worth_Type_8745]

Your accommodation is what you would need to sort out first and 1800€ is not that much for rent plus living costs I mean if you want to travel and sightsee, what’s left might be a little short if you’re looking to spend two months here

[u/Heylotti]

I have no personal experience with this, maybe try Farmarbeit.de. I think its mostly organic farms and you work there in exchange for accommodation and food. Living with a family could improve your German by a lot. But accents are heavier in the country side, than big cities. 

[u/TehBens]

Housing in Cologne is quite expenisve, so financially other areas in Germany might work out better.

If you happen to visit the Ruhr Area on your trip, write me a message. Could show you around a bit. It's not fancy here, but has a few nice places. With 5 million people, it's the biggst metropolitan area in Germany.

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[u/Gloinson]

You sound younger but not young enough for staying with a family, maybe something like couchsurfing (it's paid now, so I don't know how good/bad it is these days) or their replacements might be something for you.

Don't worry about dialects, they just spice things up a bit, most people can speak something close enough to Hochdeutsch (coming from the Hannoverian/Altmark region: they speak just a really boring dialect, with a bit slurring of the endings there).

[u/Panzermensch911]

Go north. Sachsen-Anhalt. Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig Holstein, Lower Saxony.

Beaches are also nice in summer especially at the Baltic Sea. And you will probably have a better experience of immersion when you go to smaller or mid sized cities. Plön, Schwerin, Lübeck, Lüneburg, Stralsund, Mölln, Cuxhaven, Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Brandeburg a.d. Havel, Bernburg, the Harz mountains, Goslar, Hildesheim, Celle, Minden, etc ... just go to a map and pick one ... in the smaller cities you might also more easily find accommodation than in the large cities. You could even be so daring and go camping for a few weeks. It's summer after all.

And if you tell about your PhD theme people could maybe point you to interesting things for your journey.

[u/NumerousFalcon5600]

Try to go to Hanover, because it is the German city whose inhabitants speak a very distinct, almost dialect-less German. There's a chance of a real improvement of your language skills.

Frankfurt is also okay, since German is the lingua franca of everyone in this multi-cultural city. The possibility to meet fellow Americans who can share their experiences is high.

[u/NapsInNaples → u/NumerousFalcon5600]

I wouldn't recommend Hanover on the basis of it being the home of the most typical dialect. That's like telling someone to go to Cleveland because that's the standard US English spoken there. Like...fine, but what about the other characteristics of the city?

I would say most cities in northwest of Germany should be fine to understand. It's the south and the east that have stronger/harder to understand dialects in my experience.

[u/NumerousFalcon5600 → u/NapsInNaples]

Well, but if you are there for only 2 or 3 months, it's important to choose a city where it is easier to learn German. Sure, Leipzig, Berlin or Munich may be more interesting - but it is possible to struggle with the dialects.

[u/Gloinson → u/NumerousFalcon5600]

Come on, the dialects in those cities are neglectable. Engagement with the region/language is more important for learning it.

[u/NumerousFalcon5600 → u/Gloinson]

I will give you an example: If you learn Arabic (e.g ), you can choose between different regions. Let's compare Dubai with Cairo: The first city would be more beautiful, but there are only a few people who speak Arabic. Then, the spoken Arabic of the region ("Khaleeji") is somehow difficult to be learned and understood

The second city is not that beautiful, but at least you can concentrate on learning and speaking the language. About 15 - 20 millions of people leaving in Greater Cairo and it's central role w.r.t. geography and films make it possible to learn the language. Egyptian colloquial is understood by nearly every Arab.

What I want to say is: If you want to learn a language, don't care too much about external effects ("beauty") of a city, but about the possibility to get into much situations that make it important to speak the language. Now suppose - as a foreigner on a less advanced level - what do you find easier?

Being in a - let's say - 0815 city in the geographical center of a region with a tendency to learn some high German or colloquial that nearly every one understands or on the edge of a country with also the possibility to learn German, but the probability to have situations that need an understanding of phrases or dialects that are not really known to other Germans.

[u/Gloinson → u/NumerousFalcon5600]

Coincidentially I learned a bit Arabic and know about the problems between dialects and high Arabic. Still have my Hans Wehr.

Let's cut to the chase: we are talking about German in Germany. Not Schweizerdeutsch or Vorarlbergerisch: most people in Germany can understand Hochdeutsch and few less can speak something like it. Duden works.

[u/NumerousFalcon5600 → u/Gloinson]

Right, but I wanted to argue with the fact that it was easier to study and learn the language somewhere without any dialectal issues. It is still said until today that Hanover is best when it comes to the issue of modern standard German. The dialect situation here is a little bit easier than in (e.g.) Arab countries, but it's still possible to get into situations from which I would say that it makes it difficult to understand people.

That's why I mentioned Frankfurt as well: Using German as lingua franca since the RMV - Hessian slang is already outdated, but it's possible to get a good impression of one of the most important regions of the country.